WOW!!! WOW!!! Must try line: Imaginary Authors from Portland, Oregon

I don't recall every feeling compelled to rave over something as these wonderful fragrances, but they deserve attention!

Backstory: I won these as part of a draw from http://www.cafleurebon.com and noted the perfumer's name was Josh and the company is based in Portland, Oregon. Upon looking at the samples, I wondered if it were the same Josh behind Slumberhouse as the packaging, at least for the samples, had the same aesthetics. I was informed, no, indeed there's another Josh in Portland whipping up some fascinating creations.

They have new content posted everyday and often have free give-aways such as this one. Great blog and great peeps!

I was surprised that these samples arrived as quickly as they did, as well as a nice note from Josh thanking me for participating and hoping I loved the samples. I had received samples from Slumberhouse a couple of weeks ago and from the location and packaging, already had some preconceptions of what the samples would be like - based unfairly upon Slumberhouse's style.

Boy, I don't think I could have been any more wrong. These are almost the opposite of those scents composing a concept of imaginary authors from the past. The samples each came with nicely done bookmarks that double as sampling cards.

There are seven scents in all and I'm not sure if the imaginary author's name is suppose to designate a gender-based fragrance or not, but I found them all to be edp strength and quite wearable.

L'Orchidee Terrible

Audrey Blavot b.1919 d.1999

"I'm bored of being the most beautiful woman in the room, old bean, what say you and me hit the street? See if we can't find some trouble to call our own."

Orchid
Honey
Muguet
Aldehydes
White Musk
Satin

I expected this to be feminine and it is, to a point. But more importantly, when I first sprayed it I said aloud "ohhhh...". I knew I was going to be in for a treat sampling the rest of these. It's sweet, flowery, aldehydic, yet hard to describe overall - so I won't try!

Falling into the Sea

Nica Galas b. 1950 d. 2007

"Caught in the undertow of his salty lemon lips, I caught myself drifting helplessly into a soundless summer unconsciousness."

Lemon
Bergamot
Grapefruit
Lychee
Tropical Flowers
Warm Sand

Upon spraying this, I thought - wow, this really is like falling into the sea. Think of all the oceanic scents you may have tried. This isn't them. This is more like a really nice candle that gives off a wonderfully tropic vibe.

The Soft Lawn

Claude LeCoq b.1893 d.1957

"They hopped the fence of the Governor's Mansion, laid side by side on the cool grass tennis court, and invented constellations until the sunrise usurped their astral empire."

Fresh tennis balls! Yes! I've been wondering what a good backhand would smell like. But seriously, when I first sprayed this, something about the scent screamed "Creed" in a Green Valley sort of way, minus the mint. Very fresh, classy "green" scent. This one was the winner of the bunch... so far. Loved it.

Violet Disguise

Lenora Blumberg b.1909 d. 1983

"Invigorated by the reckless blooms of spring, she took to the street like a blossom on the breeze."

Plum
Violet
Dried Fruits
Balsam
Amber
Evening Air
The Month of May

Well, I don't know what May smells like where you live, but this is wonderful. If only may were 12 months a year. This has a vibe that kind of reminded me of the Slatkin Absinthe and Black Fig cologne that was out several years ago. The fruit is there, but tempered with some darker textures. Very nice!

The Cobra and The Canary

James Spundt b.1933 d. 2001

"We were driving faster than dammit, headed due west for a place called Anywhere But Here."

Lemon
Tobacco Flowers
Orris Root
Leather
Hay Fields
Asphault

THIS is the fragrance that, based on the name and notes, is the one I wanted to try the most. If you are a leather love, this is a MUST try. First spray - BAM! Very dark and animalistic leather, but it dries down to perhaps the best leather scent I've sniffed in a long time. Cuiron? Pffff. Tuscan Leather? Well, yeah... I won't lie, I still love it. Knize Ten? Fughettaboutit. This is pure awesomeness. I'm completely stunned.

Woah! This is a vanilla lover's dream. Warm. Seductive. But never cloying or heavy (I'm talking to you, Pi). I'm not a huge vanilla lover, but this is something I could see myself purchasing down the road.

Bull's Blood

Devente Valereo a. 1925 d. ????

"A man who has killed is a man who knows passion."

Patchouli
Rose
Costus Root
Tobacco
Black Musk
Bull's Blood

Ok, I have no idea what bull's blood really smells like, but there's something about this upon first whiff that conjures up manly things such as running with the bulls in Spain. You like it dark and brooding? This is it for you. Holy cow this goes on wonderfully weird. Very difficult to describe, but yet something I can't help but repeatedly sniff. The patchouli is there. As is the rose. Almost a metallic twinge up front like one would expect with blood, but very wearable and unique.

All in all, I'm extremely impressed. These are some well thought out scents with a great marketing concept behind them.

Full disclosure: I do not know Josh (or his last name) and just received these samples having won a draw. You can find out more about them here: http://imaginaryauthors.com.

I hadn't heard anything regarding this line, that's why the aesthetics struck me as "hey, those look like Slumberhouse samples!". But as I said, this stuff feels like it came from the opposite side of the country. Very different from that line.

I haven't had that much experience with indy-type perfumers and have had mixed results with the ones I did explore, so perhaps that's why I'm so enthused about these: the gap between expectation and initial perceptions was quite large. The Cobra and the Canary is a must try if you like leather.

I live in Portland, and I really adore it. There's a strange vibe here, and I mean that in a good way. There's a sense of community that often seems to eschew competition in favor of collaboration or mutual admiration. The beer scene is a perfect example. We have more breweries per capita than anywhere in the U.S. Heck, we have more breweries than Munich, and more seem to be opening all the time. It's a beer lover's Meca... but what really amazes me is that the breweries don't compete with each other. Each carves out its own niche, and everybody is a fan of everybody else's work.

Nope. Colorado and Washington - in theory. Nobody knows how the feds will react once those new state laws take effect. Legalizing pot was on the ballot here on election day too, but Oregon voted no. I was surprised.

Portland is delightfully weird! Love this city full of creative people. But pot smoking is seen in bars and on the street in...San Francisco much more' at least when I visited in September. In Portland it is seen a lot more behind closed doors. But there are a lot of very sick people here with medical cards.

Some very interesting designs here, especially interested in trying Soft Lawn, Falling into the Sea, and Cobra&Canary. I like the reviews given by The Bark as it seems this is another rather small operation that is churning out quality niche frags much akin to Slumberhouse. I also like the brewery mention of Portland and how each brewery finds its own niche, it may be the same thing with fragrance design in Portland as it becomes clear that Slumberhouse and Imaginary Authors don't share much in common at all in scent construction.

Who knows at this rate Portland may become the mecca of fragrance designers, especially if your name is Josh, haha.

EDIT : I gave in after reading more reviews, especially those of forfreddie of smellythoughts, seems like I will enjoy this line immensely. Sample set ordered and now the torturous waiting period begins.

I have to say I'm really liking Memoirs of a Trespasser. It has a booziness to it that reminds me a little of Guerlain's Spiritueuse Double Vanille for a short period, granted I've only tried that once. But there's a nice myrrh note in the dry down that gives the scent a long-haul warmth. When I woke up this morning, it was still present on my arm with bit of a root-beer feel, much like Annick Goutal's Myrrh Ardent.

Thanks for posting about this line, Bark! I ordered a sample set a few weeks ago and have been thoroughly impressed, especially by The Cobra and The Canary, The Soft Lawn, and Bull's Blood - each potent and complex in their own way.

I totally agree with your take on the leather notes in Cobra and the Canary! It's very well done and the leather takes just the right amount of "the stage" while wearing. (Incidentally, this is going to be the winter of leathers for me, from rubbery to more authentic takes, as my recent purchases have also included Bulgari Black and Violet Tendencies by Smell Bent.)

I just got some samples today. My first impression of this house is very positive. I ordered four samples and he sent me five, which was nice. They are also all quite good. Bull's Blood is initially the most attention getting. It's a strong, old school, manly fragrance and the notes listed seem pretty true to the fragrance itself. The Cobra and the Canary smells like being in a very expensive car. Memoirs of a Trespasser is a terrific vanilla fragrance. I'm not normally a fan of vanilla fragrances, but this one might win me over. My partner smelled it and smiled and said, "Cookies," which I can see, but it really isn't as sweet as that would suggest. At first, I didn't think much of The Soft Lawn, but after a few minutes, I started to get a really nice violet note, which combined with the green notes, is very lovely and refreshing. The bonus sample he sent me is Violet Disguise. It's nice, but I actually get more violet from The Soft Lawn - maybe the disguise is working.

All in all, I'd say this is a new house that is definitely worth sampling. I agree with others who have said that the only things this house has in common with Slumberhouse, is that they are both young men in Portland named Josh who make perfume. (Well, I suppose that is quite a bit to have in common, actually!)

Alright, I'll be the dissenting voice: Having tried the line I was disappointed.

Maybe an indie-perfumer doesn't have access to fabulous raw materials (and perhaps I should take that into consideration when testing them but I'm feeling grouchy, so I shan't) and that's why the scents seems to bleed together and become a mass of sameness, especially in the basenotes.

My overall feeling is that everything is too dense, there is not enough air and space for the notes to breathe. There was one exception; I like Violet Disguise a lot, the notes didn't feel lumped together, the base didn't overwhelm. Anyway, I am a son of a bitch vintage snob, I don't think I'm the target market for this line.

Finally got done sampling the lineup from Imaginary Authors and figured I'd give my own personal thoughts on the line. I'll start off by saying that I believe L'Orchidee Terrible and Violet Disguise definitely lean towards the feminine end of the spectrum if you follow the whole masculine/unisex/feminine categorizations. I didn't find them offensive in any way, but definitely do not see myself being able to wear these two. Thus, I don't feel like I could give a fair review of these two. On to the others :

Bull's Blood - this is undoubtedly the most unique scent of the entire line and probably will be what draws people to try this line because of its unique smell. However, I will note that this will be a very polarizing fragrance with most probably falling in the "love it" or "hate it" category. Describing this fragrance there is definitely something animalic almost fecal-like underlaying the notes of tobacco, rose, and patchouli, maybe the interaction of the black musk with the supposed bull's blood note? There is also a metallic twinge involved that come out during the drydown that lingers which I also assume is due to the bull's blood, but can not be certain of. I find the scent to be very masculine and absolutelty love it, but comments have ranged from smelling wonderful to smelling weird. The projection and sillage on this is pretty strong and only a couple sprays are needed. Lasted about 6 hours on my skin. I agree with The Bark in that this is a "dark" scent similar in style (not scent or construction) to Encre Noir by Lalique or L'Anarchiste by Caron. Definitely would recommend sampling before buying. I think this could be a year round scent due to its uniqueness, with it leaning more towards a night-time scent. I like it, but definitely could see why other will not.

Falling into the Sea - I had preconceived notions of this either smelling like Creed Erolfa, Creed Virgin Island Water, or some mass produced aquatic. However, this smells like none of them and the closest scent that came up was from my girl friend who said it smelled like a Glade Tropical Breeze plug-in, which it certainly does to an extent but not in the overly cloying and synthetic sense. There is a lot of fruit in this scent, the lychee being the most dominant to my nose. To me it invoked images of maybe eating a fruit salad while sitting on a beach in Hawaii. While there are certainly plenty of others who may love this fragrance, it just didn't do anything for me. It definitely is a unisex scent. It has decent projection and sillage and lasted about 4 hours on my skin, its not for me, but I'm sure some people will love it. Also this would probably be a spring/summer scent so I may have to retry during that time of year.

Memoirs of a Trespasser - I can honestly seeing this one being the true "hidden gem" in the entire line. The Bark did a great job describing this scent as being a vanilla scent that is not heavy or cloying, but I'd also like to add that there is also a strong smoky/burning/incense vibe with this scent as well. It is not an acrid smell, but rather warm and enticing that won't offend. There is something about this scent that brings up memories of eating vanilla wafers in front of a fireplace to me. Definitely a gourmand, but fairly unisex and I feel it leans masculine. Projection and sillage on this appear to be excellent for me and lasts for around 7 hours. This is my favorite in the entire line and I'll be picking up a bottle of this soon. As with all gourmands, however, I'd recommend sampling before blind buying as even this scent may be too strong (or too weak) depending on what you expect from a vanilla-dominated fragrance. This is also a definite fall/winter scent.

The Cobra and The Canary - this scent is right next to Memoirs of a Trespasser as bidding for my love, with Bull's Blood not far behind. There is definitely leather here, but not faux leather, cured leather hide, or even that brand-new wallet leather smell. Rather this evoked to me the way the leather originally smelled like in Ford Mustang before use and exposure to the elements rendered it more inert. Something about this scent immediately evoked in my mind memories of driving in my Mustang with the top down out in the rural farmland areas of Arizona. It it definitely pleasing to me and I can honestly say I had a smile on my face thinking about those memories which is the greatest compliment I think I can give a fragrance when it evokes powerful enough memories that stir emotional responses. I can definitely pick up the leather, hay, tobacco, and asphalt notes which is probably why there is such a strong automative association with this fragrance. The Bark is right when he says this is a must try leather scent, its not a classy leather in my opinion. Rather, this leather to me would be best represented by a picture of Steve McQueen in a leather jacket driving down a highway with the top down in one of his classic Porsches or Ferraris. There is just something about this fragrance that evokes in me such strong associations with images and memories, haha. I find this to have pretty good sillage and projectivity, lasted around 6 hours on my skin. Another one definitely worth sampling at the very least.

The Soft Lawn - I really really wanted to love this scent as I had heard it being compared to Creed Green Valley, one of the best Creeds ever made in my opinion anyways. However, while there is definitely greens involved in this scent it leans towards being synthetically green rather than that fresh, natural green to my nose. It may have to do with the tennis ball note that is in here which I can honestly say I never cared to smell from my limited time playing tennis while growing up. However, there is an earthy,dirt-like aspect of this scent that appears during the dry down that is very faint and wish would have been brought out more as it adds a real depth to this scent that would make me love it. As it stands, this is an unfortunate pass for me. Projection and sillage are decent on this one and it lasted about 5 hours on my skin.

Overall, I have to say I am very impressed by the work of Josh at Imaginary Authors. While there are certainly hits and misses involved with this line, there is certainly a lot of innovation and uniqueness taking place in the design of these scents. I have to imagine (ha) that there will be quite a few more interesting takes in the near future. This is definitely a niche line worth checking out and sampling at the very least.

I really liked some of these, and the concept was right up my weird alley, but unfortunately they Do Not Work on me in a major way.

I was mad in love with Bull's Blood (although I probably wouldn't wear it out, in consideration of others' feelings). This was a salty, bitter, dark smell, kind of like that particular rather outhouse smell of certain traditionally tanned South Asian leather goods ("fecal" is the perfume word, right?), with an undernote of patchouli, and, yes, blood. (I have no reference for bull's blood. But I know blood, and it does smell like thick, old blood.) (My partner hated Bull's Blood, a lot.)

The Cobra and the Canary I thought was amazing, dry, papery and somewhat sweet, a bit like old, velvety cardboard boxes in an attic. Deeply weird, in a good way.

I was also extremely fond of Memoirs of a Trespasser -- warm spice, wood, vanilla and cognac, to me. A woodshop at Christmas.

Orchidee Terrible I did not, to my surprise, hate. A perfume smell, followed by the dry hot smell of old-style photocopiers. Dry and piercing, like the quality of the smell of lemon balm. I wrote "a feminine android" in my notes.

Violet Disguise smelled like some dry shampoo that I tried once. Had little use for it. The Soft Lawn was interesting at the beginning (it did smell like tennis balls!) but quickly turned into a generic green freshness. Falling Into The Sea reminded me of some horrible lurid fruity drink made from a mix.

All of them, however, were killed by my freakish skin. I mean really killed; after three to four hours, they all smelled identically of ancient Avon perfume improperly stored, sickly sweet and soured. Even Bull's Blood! I haven't murdered anything quite so thoroughly since I borrowed my friend's Beautiful once to go clubbing, in university.

I wrote to Josh; he was sort of baffled. He said he does use a base of "musks." I have no idea. But I'd be interested to know if anyone else has this experience.

Thanks, The Bark for the heads up. I love the introduction to each fragrance. Eloquently written copy! Would love to get a sniff or two... If only to find out exactly how wearable these scents truly are. I've come across some well-executed concept compositions that ultimately fail the wearability test.

I've continued sampling them and I'd say it's a close call between Memoirs of a Trespasser and The Cobra and the Canary for favorites. Memoirs is just in incredible vanilla - boozy and warm with a nice hit of myrrh. I sprayed both last night after reading RunSun's reviews and noted how The Cobra and the Canary REALLY, REALLY reminded me of the scent of a cab - but in a very good way. You know, it's raining cats and dogs outside and you're standing there hailing a cab and some old guy pulls up with too much hair growing out of his ears and looks as though he could be working for the Russian Mob. But you get in the backseat and you can smell the leather and cigar smoke and there's jazz playing on the radio and somehow it's all oddly comforting and you feel like Michael Clayton at the end of his eponymous movie, giving the cab driver a hundred bucks just to drive around... wherever.

Maybe an indie-perfumer doesn't have access to fabulous raw materials (and perhaps I should take that into consideration when testing them but I'm feeling grouchy, so I shan't) and that's why the scents seems to bleed together and become a mass of sameness, especially in the basenotes.

I mentioned this to the perfumer when I wrote my reviews and was having some conversations with him - I worded it a little nicer though :P He talked about how he wanted them to be blended seamlessly - and I said that, that can lose the magic though and you want something still jutting out as it dries down. Not that my opinion means anything to him, he's the perfumer after all, but he said he'd given it a lot of thought and I look forward to seeing what he comes out with next. I think it's a solid line but the drydowns suffer a tad. Still, I'm a fan of the line, the creativity, and the perfumer - he's an awesome guy and I think he'll get stronger and stronger.

I feel the very same way. What is interesting though is that I let my brother sample these and he compared Memoirs of a Trespasser to one of his which was Memoires Liquide - Encens. Now besides the somewhat similar name, I did find there was a very similar vibe with the vanilla and smokiness, but the vanilla was much more pronounced in Encens and longer lasting as well.

Overall though, I feel myself leaning towards making a purchase of Cobra and Canary over Memoirs. Although I feel both are very worthy of owning a full bottle of.

Originally Posted by The Bark

I've continued sampling them and I'd say it's a close call between Memoirs of a Trespasser and The Cobra and the Canary for favorites. Memoirs is just in incredible vanilla - boozy and warm with a nice hit of myrrh. I sprayed both last night after reading RunSun's reviews and noted how The Cobra and the Canary REALLY, REALLY reminded me of the scent of a cab - but in a very good way. You know, it's raining cats and dogs outside and you're standing there hailing a cab and some old guy pulls up with too much hair growing out of his ears and looks as though he could be working for the Russian Mob. But you get in the backseat and you can smell the leather and cigar smoke and there's jazz playing on the radio and somehow it's all oddly comforting and you feel like Michael Clayton at the end of his eponymous movie, giving the cab driver a hundred bucks just to drive around... wherever.